Where have all the Christians gone?
Why are there so many marginal and "has been" Christians?
This study is for people who don't go to church, for those who have never gone, but are curious if the Christian faith can be rational, and those who maybe used to go regularly and dropped out.
It is also for thousands who do go fairly regularly, but don't agree with, nor are they encouraged by, the message which they usually hear.
I have always wondered why there are so many marginal and "drop-out" Christians. I find a big gap in the understanding of faith through which we are saved and the faith by which we walk which is taught with denominational doctrines and methods. I believe we walk the same way we came. In my opinion, we don't need to have revivals to try to get people to clean-up the flesh and recommit their life. That is up to God. We need to revive the Gospel, not the people.
If our clergy would quit trying to preach motivation based on guilt and quit using denominational methods and worldly strategies for growing a church and preach the "good news" of the Gospel, then we would see lives being changed because of a renewed understanding of the greatest life there is, our life in Christ.
There aren't twenty-three steps to clean up the "Flesh". There aren't ten steps to maturity. There is only one step and that is to Jesus Christ. We don't live the Christian life by trying to be like Jesus; we live it by having the same attitude that He had. He depended on the Father in Heaven. Christians should not be taught that they must do things for God. They should first be taught how to enjoy the Holy Spirit of God as they are being taught the "Truth" which sets them free.
Most denominational preaching is intended to keep people in bondage to performance. Sometimes this is due to the theology of the denomination. That is, they believe the primary emphasis of the Bible is a rule book for right living. They may even teach the Old Covenant like it applies to Christians for this purpose. So they think Jesus was telling the Jews, you can't live up to the law, and then turned around and told the Christians that they had to be perfect. Although in our perfection, we don't seem to be cutting off any hands or plucking out any eyes. Do you suppose that Jesus was telling us that after His death believers will no longer live by religious systems?
I do not like to leave a church service feeling depressed and confused, I like to be able to say "now that was good news". I know that people need to hear the bad news that they are dead and condemned already and are going to an unpleasant hereafter, if they don't accept God's provision in Jesus Christ. But once we are "born again", the same messages do not apply, we are no longer under condemnation no matter what we do. We have been set free from the bondage of the "Flesh" and the control of religion (expectations of others) to live life in a personal relationship with a living God.
The good news is that we can't do anything for God. He has done it all. The only thing for us to do is "believe". And, once we believe God and not a religion, we may learn to experience "the peace of God which surpasses all understanding". (Philippians 4:7)
The good news is that we don't need to be under the control of religion to be a "born again" Christian. What we need is a thirst for understanding our spiritual relationship with God, in Christ. We can join with other Christians in our homes as the early Christians did.
Following are a few studies, which have helped me to understand the "good news" of God's grace. They have helped me to define my relationship with God as being spiritual, active and personal in a new and living way, rather than as a "godfather" who is controlling my every situation and circumstance.
I use several well known doctrinal terms, but hopefully, I have established some new ways of understanding them. (The old cliches, which have been used to impress denominational congregations for years, just don't seem to work that way in my life.) To really understand the terms in these studies, you will need to understand all of them as they relate to one another. In other words, grace, faith, life, truth, etc. all work together to describe our relationship with God, in Christ, and how He trully works in our life. Not in some pretend sort of way, but in a way which allows us to be honest about God's expectations of us, our expectations of ourselves, and, let's face it, our expectations of God. For instance, "truth" can be understood in a real life everyday event for our thinking and deciding, rather than just a metaphysical or religious concept.
I share these studies with the hope that they will help others understand that they don't need to pretend a relationship which they don't have, but can come to a realistic understanding of how God works in their life through the study of scripture and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
If you would like to know more about being "born again", please read the study on "Guilty and Dead" and "let me tell you about Jesus".
Scripture, definitions, aphorisms, and tables are all
interconnected with links, like this grace,
faith and life,
so I hope you have a compatible browser.
Index of studies:
The Denominational Church ModelGuilty and Dead - Flesh and Spirit This is the major misunderstanding in Christianity today.
Conscience is not from God and our conscience is not how God speaks to us.
Three Kinds of Christians, Not Two
How do Christians Increase Their Faith?
Second blessing? We don't get more of the Holy Spirit. We learn the Truth.
Statements of My Faith This is still under construction.
What Do You Think of This Study? If your browser supports Forms, please complete this survey before you leave.
Contact Information
If you have any comments or questions concerning this
study, I will be glad to hear from you.